New books being published by members of UNL’s campus community include “Lonesome Dreamer: The Life of John G. Neihardt” by Tim Anderson, a newly retired associate professor of practice in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications.
**• Lonesome Dreamer: The Life of John G. Neihardt, by Tim Anderson, associate professor of practice, journalism and mass communications, (University of Nebraska Press, 328 pages, August 2016) — This biography is the first in nearly 40 years to explore the life of Neihardt, an American poet and writer who lived from 1881 to 1973. Best remembered for writing “Black Elk Speaks,” which tells the story of the Lakota holy man Black Elk, Neihardt also wrote “A Cycle of the West,” a five-volume epic poem that catalogs the settling of the American West. In “Lonesome Dreamer,” Anderson describes Neihardt’s life from humble beginnings in Illinois, to being named poet laureate of Nebraska in 1921 and appearing on the Dick Cavett Show at the age of 90. Anderson also examines Neihardt’s success as a poet far from the East Coast literary establishment, his resistance to modernist movements in poetry, and his wish to understand and describe the experience of Native Americans of the Great Plains. Offering insight into Neihardt’s personal and literary lives, this biography reaffirms his place in American history. The book will be available in August.
This regular UNL Today column features information about the recent publications of UNL faculty, staff and students. For more information about each publication, click the link within the related book. The campus community can submit recent publication news to tfedderson@unl.edu or call 402-472-8515.
